Mick Schumacher has felt the wrath of Haas boss Gunther Steiner despite having left the American team at the end of last season.
The son of Michael, an iconic figure in F1 with his record equalling haul of seven world titles, was seen as shrewd recruitment by Steiner when he signed ahead of the 2021 campaign. His debut year proved a difficult one though, with neither he or then teammate Nikita Mazepin able to score a single point.
And despite 2022 signalling the start of a new era in the sport, designed to make racing more competitive, disaster struck for Schumacher just two races in. He was forced to miss the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix after a high-impact crash in qualifying, and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
He later caused the Monaco Grand Prix to be red flagged after careering into a wall, leaving his car cut in half, before a further accident in practice in Japan. And despite finally finishing in the points at Silverstone and then Austria, his earlier mishaps weren't forgiven by Steiner, who duly replaced him for 2023 with Nico Hulkenberg.
In his new book titled Surviving to Drive, the Italian has accused the 24-year-old of racking up a huge £1.7 million in repair bills, amid the budget cap for all teams being cut. And it was the incident in Suzuka which seemingly irked him most.
According to the Express, he in his book he singled out the spin on Turn 7, which he claimed cost £550,000 alone: "It happened on the f*****g in-lap," he wrote. "On the in-lap! Sure, it was very wet out there on the track, but nobody else managed to write off a car while they were driving back to the pits.
"We lose a car after five minutes and now have to build another. I cannot have a driver who I am not confident can take a car around safely on a slow lap. It's just f*****g ridiculous. How many people could we employ with $700,000 (£550,000)? And I have to now find that money."
However, it's not been the easiest start for Haas in the post-Mick Schumacher era either. Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have a combined total of just seven points from the opening three races.
The German has since become a reserve driver at Mercedes, serving as back-up to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. But his former boss is clearly still angered by the financial implications of the car damage he caused last year.
